The Lurgy Is Upon Us

Now that the children are back at school, we have tackled Bonfire night and Halloween and Christmas day is coming it’s time for the winter stomach bugs. They are inevitable in this house and my Facebook feed tells me we are not at all alone!

So, how DO we deal with a problem like Diarrhea?*

Dehydration

It is really easy for little ones to get dehydrated when they are suffering with vomiting and diarrhea. You can offer water and even milk if they will take it but make sure they are sipping, not gulping their drinks. I always gave Col & Bess fruit teas when they were younger. Ginger is a good one for nausea. If your baby has a bout of sickness it is safe to continue to offer them their usual milk and if you are breastfeeding and have a bout of sickness there is no medical reason for you to stop nursing – aside from feeling like shit obviously

Something To Nibble

While they are vomiting it is best to stick to clear liquids but that won’t be forever. It’s always tough to know when to introduce solid foods back into your child’s diet after a bout of sickness. Bland is key as is little and often. A good way to get them nibbling again without stressing out their system too harshly is by using the BRAT rule.

Bananas Rice Applesauce Toast

You can’t really stick to this for more than a day or maybe 2 after the sickness has stopped so you should be re-introducing fruits and vegetables as soon as you can after your child starts to feel well.

It is very normal for a weaned baby/toddler to regress after a bout of sickness. Of course Vegetables are the first thing they cross off their list of must eats. Don’t worry too much about that, just let them take their own time.

I usually make some scones. You can add all sorts of things to them such as cheese or grated vegetables.

The most important thing to remember is this. It won’t last long and when it is finished you will have earned yourself a considerably large glass of your favourite beverage. If you can keep it down..